Until the Break of Dawn
by DDR B-Girl Emi
Summary: A Charlie and Chun Li pairing. This story chronicles the life of two people who gradually fell in love in the midst of their mission to destroy Bison...and the tragic end of their relationship that could've been much more.


Chun Li's eyes fluttered as she awoke from what seemed like centuries of sleep.  
"You're awake!" She heard a familiar voice exclaim with relief.  
Her vision was still a little blurry, so she couldn't make out the silhouette of the person who had spoken. She waited patiently for a few seconds and was soon able to see that the speaker was her boss.  
Upon recognition, she immediately straightened up. "Sir!"  
Her boss put a restraining hand on her shoulder, easing Chun Li back into her bed. Her newly focused eyes darted around the room.  
"I'm in a hospital?" She asked, dazed.  
Her boss nodded. "You were knocked unconscious, remember?"  
Chun Li thought for a moment, then remembered the events of the past. She had finally defeated Bison...or so she thought. He had taken her by surprise and managed to build up enough strength to strike her to the floor. Chun Li faced her boss.  
Reluctance crept into her next question. "Did he...escape?"  
Her boss looked at her kindly. "Unfortunately, yes."  
Chun Li crossed her arms and silently fumed. Bison was supposed to be serving a prison sentence for being the leader of a notorious drug ring. Before delivering the near-fatal blow to Chun Li, he had gloated about the pleasure of killing her father. After months of worry, stress, and fatigue over the sudden disappearance of her father, she had finally learned the horrifying truth: her father had been murdered.  
"I'm sorry about your father." Her boss said, as if he had read her mind. "He was one of our finest agents."  
Chun Li took a few deep breaths, willing herself not to cry. She succeeded and hastily wiped away the slight moisture on her eyelashes.  
Her boss could see her distress. "In any case, there's still a chance that you can stop Bison...and avenge your father."  
Chun Li gave him a questioning look.  
He continued. "Sources say he fled to Thailand."  
Chun Li's eyes shone with determination again. She would have yet another chance!  
Her boss cleared his throat. "However, you are to be accompanied by two members of the US Special Forces."  
Chun Li was taken aback. "What! Why?"  
"Chun Li, last time you faced off with that...monster, he nearly killed you. Look what happened, you wound up in the hospital."  
Chun Li grimaced. She wanted to protest, but her boss was in every way right. She would have no choice.  
"I know you enjoy independent work," her boss began, "but it must be done. The US is after him as well. The Special Forces leader and I have arranged this. Chun Li, it's for the best."  
After a moment's hesitation, she nodded passively.  
  
Chun Li and her boss watched as the helicopter slowly descended towards them. The two waited patiently as the helicopter came to a stop in the secluded plain, the landing causing a forceful breeze. Chun Li watched as the helicopter stopped completely, clutching the duffel bag that was strapped on her shoulder tightly. Three men emerged from the helicopter. Out of the three, two were wearing US military clothes while the third wore a simple white shirt with a gray-blue necktie. He wore a stylish pair of matching gray-blue pants and black shoes. He walked up to Chun Li and her boss, the other two men following behind him.  
"Ah, good sir!" The man exclaimed. "So this is the girl you spoke of." He eyed Chun Li critically.  
"She's Interpol's finest agent." Her boss said.  
"Hmm, I see." He shifted the attention to the men behind him. "May I introduce Colonel Guile and Colonel Charles?"  
The two men saluted sternly. Chun Li looked at the two American men. Both were rather intimidating, tall in height and muscular in build. Another detail that caught her attention was the hairstyles they had. One had his platinum blonde hair up completely, slightly arched. The other had his hair up as well, but had a portion of his hair extending outward. Both seemed to lack character, judging by their unresponsive faces and somewhat angry looking faces.  
Chun Li bowed respectfully and forced herself to say, "It's a pleasure to meet you." She rose again and glanced at the two men again, absorbing their features.  
Chun Li felt her boss pull her away to speak with her. "Chun Li, I know you wanted to do this on your own, but please, take advantage of the assistance you're receiving. Use the information that these two men know about Bison and tell them everything you can. If you three work as one unit, you can indeed succeed. The are fine soldiers and would make excellent allies in the fight against M. Bison.  
Chun Li nodded slowly. "I understand, sir."  
He smiled. "Good. I'm counting on you. Stop the malicious demon known as Bison and avenge your noble father." He patted her on the shoulder. "You can succeed, Chun Li. It has been an honor to watch your progression in the world of Interpol. You're capable of almost anything, let no one tell you otherwise."  
Chun Li nodded again. "Thank you, sir."  
She watched as her bass walked away, leaving her with the three men.  
The man with the necktie clapped his hands once. "Well, let's head back."  
Chun Li could feel her heart beating slightly faster than usual as she shifted the position of her duffel bag. "Why am I so nervous?" She thought to herself as she followed the three men into the helicopter. Once inside, she proceeded to an empty seat. He felt the helicopter propel itself upward and her thoughts drifted to her homeland, her friends in China, and her father. How must it have felt to have been murdered by such a terrible man like Bison? What had he thought about before dying? What were his last words?  
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name." Someone said, interrupting her thoughts.  
She turned to the right to see that someone had taken a seat right next to her.  
"Chun Li." She responded. "You're Colonel Charles, I presume?"  
He laughed kindly. "Technically, yes, but hardly anyone calls me 'Charles' anymore." He extended his hand to her. "Just call me Charlie."  
She shook his hand firmly. He was a good-natured guy, not half as stern as she had thought when she first saw him.  
"We should be back at base in about 30 minutes." He informed. "So you're a detective back in China?" He asked.  
Chun Li nodded. "I'm an agent for Interpol."  
"That's the international police agency, right?" Charlie asked.  
"Yes, it is." She replied, relieved for some reason that he had heard of Interpol.  
"So what made you want to be a detective?" He asked.  
"My father was one." She smiled a bit, remembering her father. "I guess I wanted to follow in his footsteps." She replied.  
"Did he work for Interpol too?"  
Chun Li paused for a moment. "Yes he did." She replied quickly.  
Charlie took her quick response as a sign of irritation. "I'm sorry, I'm asking too many questions." He said apologetically.  
"No, it's not that." Chun Li explained, realizing how he perceived her tone of voice. "It's just that my father...passed away."  
"Oh! I'm truly sorry! If I had known, I wouldn't have...I'm sorry."  
"No, it's fine." She replied quickly. "Bison...he killed him."  
Charlie nodded understandingly.  
The two were silent for a few seconds.  
"So..." They both began. The two looked up, each expecting the other to say something, then laughed. Chun Li felt as though already, things were looking up.  
  
The helicopter landed on the roof of the Special Forces base. Chun Li stepped out and was immediately greeted by a gust of wind and a slight chill from the evening air.  
"Colonel Guile and Colonel Charles will show you where all the facilities are and where your room is." The man in the ties explained. "If you have any questions, you may contact be or any of the colonels.  
Chun Li nodded and hoisted her duffel bag on her shoulder.  
"Here, I'll take that for you." Charlie offered.  
Chun Li shook her head. "No, it's fine."  
"You sure?"  
Chun Li nodded.  
Charlie turned to Guile. "Let's show her to her room."  
Guile nodded and the three walked into the base and down a series of hallways. Guile and Charlie both explained where everything is and what to do if she needed anything. Chun Li noticed that Guile, like Charlie, did not lack character as she had suspected before. She also noticed that the two were very good friends, acting almost as if they were brothers by flesh.  
At last they led her to her room. She mumbled a quick "thank you" and situated herself in her room, setting her duffel bag on the bed. She unpacked her clothes into the empty drawers and flopped onto her bed. She hadn't been able to get a single wink of sleep because of the time-zone change and was starting to feel a little dizzy due to lack of sleep. She put her head on the pillow and fell asleep almost as soon as she had closed her eyes.  
  
Chun Li woke up and rose from the bed. She looked at the digital clock at the side of her bed, and although it was dark, she was able to read the illuminated 3:24 AM. She felt alert and awake, her normal stamina returning. She felt the urge to exercise, her muscles feeling slightly tight and cramped from the loss of exercise. She hadn't engaged in any type of strenuous physical activity because of her injuries and felt incomplete having not have worked out. She changed into her swimsuit, pulled on a shirt and a pair of shorts, grabbed a towel, and strode to the door. She slid on a pair of flip-flop sandals and stepped out of her room. She retraced her steps, replaying the sequence of where everything was. Soon she found herself standing in front of a door marked "Swimming Pool." She opened the enormous door and let herself in. She was happy to see that no one had occupied the pool and slipped off her sandals and pulled off her outerwear. The pool was lit inside and the blue-green water seemed to welcome her.  
"Here I go." She thought as she took a deep breath and gracefully dove into the water. The warm water surrounded her, providing relief as it rippled around her. She swam to an end of the pool and prepared herself for her swimming laps. She positioned herself and counted in her mind. "Ready...set...GO!"  
She flew forward with a great burst of speed, her strong limbs pushing her forward at a swift pace. She kept rhythmic counts in her head, pacing herself and timing her motions so that they were coordinated. The result was a perfect yet powerful stroke; strength and elegance combined. She exerted herself to go a little faster, to breathe a little less, pushing herself to the limit. She maintained her grueling pace and superb movements up to the end, swimming her last lap with more strength than she thought she possessed. She felt a feeling of self-victory as she touched the pool's edge, signaling the end of her laps.  
"Impressive." Someone said.  
Chun Li turned toward the voice and found that Charlie was leaning on the door frame, smiling.  
"That was quite a show."  
Chun Li blushed a bit. "Thanks." She mumbled.  
Charlie smiled. "What are you doing here so late at night?"  
"I had an urge to exercise." She replied.  
"This late at night?" He asked, cocking his eyebrow.  
"I'm not fully adjusted to the time difference." She responded. "What about you?" she asked.  
"I'm here at this time everyday." He strode to the edge where she was. "Usually, the pool's empty at this time." He knelt down toward her. "You don't mind if I join you, right?"  
Chun Li shrugged. "Suit yourself."  
Charlie pulled off his shirt and dove into the water. Chun Li poised herself for another internal race, but as she was about to take off, she noticed that Charlie was next to her, preparing himself for a race. She sped forward again, but this time Charlie was swimming in the lane next to her. She grinned as she forcefully stroked. She noticed at glance that there was a competitive spark in his eyes.  
She stroked with more vigor as she thought, "Let the challenge begin!" It was a race with no set time of distance. The victor would be the one who was not only faster but who could endure more. She swam with more energy, but not too much, knowing she'd have to pace herself if she wanted to win. He was a strong swimmer, like herself. Better than she had anticipated despite his muscular upper body and strong legs. Still, she managed to keep a minuscule lead. They continued for several minutes, both starting to feel strain in their arms and legs; both unwilling to stop until the other did. She could feel her breaths come out at a more frequent pace. Her arms were now sore and her legs were aching, but she still forged onward.  
"All right, all right." She heard Charlie say, laughing good-naturedly. "You win."  
Chun Li stopped swimming and turned around. Charlie had stopped and was kicking his legs in order to stay afloat. "Very impressive indeed." He commented through rapid breaths.  
Chun Li smiled. "You're not bad yourself." She replied, breathing heavily as well. She began to backstroke. "So when do we start working to destroy Shadoloo?" She asked.  
"Probably about a month from now." He replied.  
"What do we do until then?" Chun Li asked.  
"Plan a strategy, monitor Shadoloo's movements, make sure they're not up to something fishy."  
"Sounds reasonable." She responded.  
There was a pause.  
Chun Li sighed as she got out of the pool. "Well, I guess I'd better go."  
"Wait!" Charlie exclaimed.  
Chun Li turned around.  
Charlie was speechless for a moment, not knowing why he had asked her to wait. "Another race?" He challenged.  
Chun Li smiled. She walked back to the pool and executed another graceful dive. After she surfaced she faced him.  
"You're on!" 


End file.
